I'll take phobias for 150 please Alex...

I have phobias, I have weird phobias, I have normal phobias too...

HI, I'm Ashley and I have phobias...

- you COULD NOT push me into stepping on a man hole.

- you COULD NOT force me into touching a spider, seriously!

- you WILL NOT witness me stepping on a crack.

- I have a REAL problem with leaving the country.

I have a secret fear of being stuffed with cocaine and being sold in Mexico... (HEY- theres a LOT of room to stuff here people!)

- I just CANNOT get on a cruise ship because I have a little thing called PARALYZING FEAR of ship water!

- I try my hardest not to fly, I don't like to breathe recirculated air and being stuck in a VERY SMALL space is just not my thing!

- I don't swim in public pools- I mean DUH

- I don't drink out of water fountains- EW!

soooo.... I have phobias- SO WHAT.

SO IMAGINE my surprise when sometimes my curiosity takes over and I touch things... like ear plugs laying on the ground... WHY oh WHY would I have leaned over and touched this? AND WHY OH WHY are they laying under my tire?

SO if your missing your plug or plugS- call me at 1-800- GAH-ROSS and I'll let you know where I saw them.

Christmas card 2010

Lovely Leaves Story Christmas 5x7 folded card

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

wreckless ruffle tucking

When I sent this little brown haired beauty to school this morning these little dainty pure white beautiful girly socks HAD RUFFLES on them. When Bat Girl and I joined our little beauty for lunch those delicate wonderful little lady socks looked different... I guess maybe she's too old because there was nary a ruffle on those darling little stockings... every last little frill was tucked in... sad day. :(

time to get your shutterfly on!!

THIS is one of my favorite pictures of the kids! I LOVE THIS- they were so little!

I love this card from Shutterfly! I think I'll be sending this one out for my cards this year! (minus the family I don't know and plus my own kid's faces ...)

I love to take my children's picture at Christmas time. I have been taking a Christmas and summer picture every year, for the past 7 years, faithfully. I am always excited, even when they’re not, to get them together all shoved up in the car to go somewhere to take a Christmas picture. Mostly they look forward to it, too. Christmas picture time signals a break from reality, a start of the holiday season, and time for just us to talk in the car while we roam looking for the perfect new spot and visit old ones as well.

One year many years ago, I was opening Christmas cards and I opened one from some of our oldest and dearest friends - and it was the most beautiful card I had ever seen! I LOVE the idea of pictures printed ON a card. I felt so out of the loop, all these years I had simply put a picture IN a card- WHERE had Christmas cards from Shutterfly been all my life?

I have had a love affair with brilliant Shutterfly ever since. This year Shutterfly is offering my fellow blogging buddies an offer I, myself, could not refuse! They are offering 50 free cards if you blog about them. Go to Shuterfly.com for more information.

I want to be sure and tell you that I wouldn’t blog about something I don’t believe in. Shutterfly has been a reliable service that I have used many times. I have had books printed from them, cards, and just regular pictures. The book I created on Shutterfly for my mother-in-law was literally amazing. She cherishes it and I loved making it. Shutterfly is easy to use and self explanatory.

Would a coffee drinker in your life like a vivid, personalized coffee cup? I think I know some that would ... go here to order a personalized coffee cup from Shutterfly.

One year I had calendars made from Shutterfly and they turned out amazing! Our family members enjoyed the children's faces all year! And just when they thought they were finished looking at those little faces.... HAHA... Im ordering more this year! Join me by ordering from here.

GO! GO, my friends, to Shutterfly and create something wonderful, something personalized, something unforgettable today!

Happy Thanksgiving

GOT SHOTS? *part 3*

(the "bite" on my thumb)

I recieved a phone call from Mr. B. and it went like this-

me- Hello

him- Honey... (long pause) I received a call from Rick at the health department about your Rabies today...

me- (laughing hysterically) OH' HOLD ON, I have to put you on speaker, THIS is bound to be hilarious!

him- honey he said that Rabies is EXTREMELY RARE in possum carcasses, in fact it's extremely rare in possums period.... so I don't think your going to have rabies...

me- I KNOW Im not going to have rabies (LAUGH LAUGH LAUGH) but the ER would not let me go. They MADE me get the shots, SEVEN SHOTS as a matter of fact. We told them all that rabies was rare in a possum and even MORE rare in a possum carcass!- WE googled it! (and google is as good as any professionals opinion right?)

him- well honey, Rick said you don't have to have the shots, unless you feel uncomfortable and want them just to be safe...

Sooooooo...... I was thinking I will just get the shots to be safe... in case the dead possum who doesn't carry rabies anyway had rabies..... NOT!

I'm off the hook.... SEVEN shots all for zilch... being harpooned by an elephant dart all for nada.... nurse ratched's bad attitude all for naught... good grief!

OH' well. Hey if anyone runs across an animal tooth send it my way... I'm going to try and avoid the rabies for a little while. (possibly not forever though- I'm a little unpredictable that way)

GOT RABIES? (I don't) *part 2*

These are the 5 hemoglobin shots, she had already given my the other 2

So Bat Girl and I are driving along in possum-poking silence and I start to fear the foaming in a REALLY bad way... I start thinking back to the last tetanus shot which I have never had and really consider that I have made an extremely stupid decision.

After much consideration, mostly, HOW I am going to tell an ER doc, all the nurses and the lady who checks me in that I have been bitten by a dead possum... I was reasoning out, trying to convince myself that this has probably happened before and it probably isn't all that rare. I can't be the ONLY person that has ever tried to pull a possum's tooth... right?

So we went ahead and decided to stop at an E.R. and ask about the tooth, and the possibility of a tetanus shot and possibly lose any pride I may have left. I moseyed up to the counter with Bat Girl on my heels, because she doesn't want to "miss anyone's face when I tell them that I have been 'bitten' by a dead possum" and I won't lie, apparently THIS specific incident hasn't ever happened before...! Trust me, I had to tell many people, the lady at the counter wanted me to tell another lady at the counter and they laughed out loud. (who knew that possums don't really bite).

I got checked in, sent to a room and sat anxiously. I really hate shots and I was sure I would need a tetanus. Time after time the door swung open as person after person apologized for "having the wrong room" - all along we knew they were looking and laughing. I was feeling seriously insecure and nervous about getting THE shot.

When the Dr. came in she honestly laughed right at me. She kept apologizing, saying this has never happened to her before... I could keep a smile (remember I'm a nervous laugher), swallowing my pride because after all, I did touch a dead possum and I probably deserved a little shot of humiliation... I may or may not have learned my lesson at this point.

SOOOO.... anywho, long story short, after the Dr. left she sent in nurse Ratched the GAH-rouch and there on the counter she dropped SEVEN shots... SEVEN!

DID YOU HEAR ME?

SEVEN SHOTS!

Aparently if you poke a possum in the tooth and it cuts your finger you have to have-

1. tetanus shot (moderate needle)

2. rabies vaccine (moderate needle)

3. rabies hemoglobin (HA-UGE needle)

3. rabies hemoglobin (HA-UGE needle)

4. rabies hemoglobin (HA-UGE needle)

5. rabies hemoglobin (HA-UGE needle)

6. rabies hemoglobin (HA-UGE needle)

7. rabies hemoglobin (HA-UGE possible elephant needle)

I promise you when I looked away I think nurse Ratched backed up and shot that needle like an elephant dart into my leg... she was NOT gentle to say the least and she found NO humor in the being "bitten by a dead possum" thing. She wasn't having it!

So at this point poor Bat Girl had seen WAY more of me than she ever imagined, I have been SHOT in every limb and some twice, my pants are at my ankles, I can barely stand and I am in P.A.I.N. Nurse Ratched gives me the all clear and that's that... right?

NO!

I have to go back to that E.R. (not in my town) every Sunday till Christmas to get another shot! Apparently the rabies is a little less like a series of a few and a little more like a LOT! So needless to say Bat Girl and I have plans on Sundays now.

Guess what? I'm a lot less likely to pull a possum's tooth again! Im not saying it won't EVER happen- thats a bit of a commitment.

GOT POSSUM? (I didn't) *part 1*

I never said I was the smartest, I never said I was the best at anything, I never said I didn't make bad choices and that all became evident on Sunday.

So Sunday morning, Bat Girl and I headed up to a little farm to visit a friend of ours. The little farm is very beautiful- it's quiet and the fall colors are spilling off the tree branches like paint dripping onto the floor. The ground is covered with color, the fall gardens are packed with collard greens, pumpkins, turnips and other fall treasures. This little farm is a sight to behold. As we walked on the narrow pathway into thicker trees, my eyes fell to the ground and stopped on something pure white and shiny. I leaned in to get a closer look and ...

(please, please, please don't judge me here...)

There was a decayed possum skeleton. I got a little closer and its little, perfect possum teeth were just sitting there in a deteriorated jaw BEGGING to be yanked on. I couldn't even begin to help myself ... my mind was racing with thoughts of bringing a very interested 6 year old a possum tooth home from the farm... I wondered what she would think about it, how she would think it was so cool- I mean kids WEAR shark tooth necklaces, not that I was going to make her a possum tooth necklace because I WAS NOT, I promise... BUT still animal teeth are very interesting..... am I wrong here?

Before I could help myself my hand just reached down towards that shiny little treasure. Visions of pearly white teeth danced in my head. I grasped that little tiny sucker and do you know it was REALLY sharp? I pulled and pulled and no matter how much that little guy was decomposed that tooth would NOT budge! (I hated to pick up the whole skull, I mean I have SOME boundaries you know) I compromised and tried a bottom tooth instead... before I knew it, my finger slipped off that little white gem and CUT MY THUMB!

Not until that very moment had I thought about this being a very bad idea. I had never even considered that this might be dangerous... I mean IT'S DEAD... right??? Decomposing things don't bite... it's not like I wasn't SURE it was dead first...

Anywhooo..... fast forward to a little later, we walked around the farm, my mind not wandering far from the sore spot on my thumb...We said goodbye to our dear friend, hugging him and wishing him well and drove away. As we travelled farther down the road, we had not spoken of the possum incident. I don't think either one of us wanted to re-live it. Bat Girl might have thrown herself in front of the carcass if she had even considered I might touch it, I think she and I were both surprised when I reached down into the possum abyss...

... but my thumb was throbbing and I knew I probably should tell Bat Girl.... after all what if I started foaming at the mouth or worse my jaw locked and I couldn't speak at all... I was panicking a little inside...

to be continued.....

a hair bit disturbing...

Hettie from NCIS L.A.

Kid4 from my loins, GA

Do YOU see a similarity in these two? Im nervous because Kid4 wants to have bangs again and now that I am an avid NCIS L.A. watcher I realize that Hettie and my little darling Kid4 have a HAIR IN COMMON? Tell me Im wrong? PLEASE tell me I'm wrong! Last year I thought short bangs were a good idea, I think I may have been wrong. I'm going to let her have the bangs because she is so cute, but I'm not cutting them THAT short again because well... it's changed how I feel about Hettie on NCIS. At least now I know what Hettie and I's baby would look if we had decided to have children.... ;)

(This was one of many of Kid4's self portraits last year. She LOVES to take her own picture. Self portraits of a 5 year old are hilarious!)

home on break

first things first...

A. How did my little tiny baby boy grow up so fast?

B. WHY does my dad never age...? Is it weird to anyone else?

by the way- he comes home Saturday! We are so EXCITED! We're having his friends over- I can't wait to hug that boy! I hope he won't mind sitting on my lap while he's hanging out with his friends... do you think he will be embarrassed? (JK)

WELCOME HOME KID3!!

re-thinking and pumpkin passion

Bat Girl and I like a good adventure, something memory making, a good time, something exciting... so we had an idea. An idea that involved pumpkins- LOTS and LOTS of pumpkins. It started when we visited a farm... there we were and there THEY were... and we were hooked.

So we packed em up- with visions of pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin pudding, pumpkin EVERYTHING dancing in our heads... and went to work.

We washed them... we cut them (and can I just say that tiny pumpkins are much TOUGHER than they look- my thumbs are hating me). We gutted them.... we cooked them a few at time....

we pureed them, strained them and tomorrow we are food saver-ing and freezing them.

After HOURS and HOURS of painfully processing pumpkins we were talking about WHY we do these things and came to this- We LOVE to make memories, we love to make things from scratch, homemade and wonderful. We love to think back on how we carried the pumpkins from the field, how the bags fell open several times, how they tumbled out of the truck when we opened the hatch.... we love it ALL!

BUT- we also came to the realization that WE CAN AFFORD pumpkin and we might just stick to cans.... but who knows with us!

SKIP, SKIP, SKIP....

On a scale from 1- 10.

10 being the worst...

I have a STAGE 10 school skipper on my hands, and I'm not gonna lie, I had no idea! To be honest, I mean WHY not just be honest, I think sometimes he COMES HOME and I don't even know it... Here are the facts and also possibly why one of YOU should volunteer to finish raising him.

1. he drives he and Kid2 to school so someone else KNEW he was skipping....(AHEM)

2. If he comes home, I think he parks next door

3. I DID NOT even notice his car

4. He obviously drops Kid2 off and DRIVES AWAY

5. the school HAS called... I don't check my messages

6. DUH- of course he's a skipper- he's ME!

SOOOOOOO...... anywho...... this stage 10 skipper can't miss ANYMORE days of school. WE JUST STARTED school people! REALLY? Is it possible for a stage 10 skipper to go to school till the end of the year without skipping one more day?

Please take him, come to my house, take his stuff and give him a home, a place where someone might realize he's HOME, might SEE his car and might check their messages!

Here's what you'll get if you take him off my hands... He is really polite, seriously, he really is. He is helpful when asked several times, he really likes little kids and plays with Kid4 for hours. he can cook, he won't, but he can. He might clean your car out? He will track something in on your carpet, but once he does he'll take his shoes off from now on. He's a hard worker, never studies but is sweet as candy, seriously, he's a nice stage 10 skipper!

good luck, email me for pick up times!

water buffalo with STYLE!

I am AFRAID if you look up the word "Water buffalo" in the dictionary...

You'd find..................

A picture of my mom's hair in the 80's!

So, I have never looked.

(this blog was printed with my mom's permission, I PROMISE)

NON sleepy Mc sleepersons!

What do you think about when you can't sleep? Kid4 thinks of numbers. She writes lists and does math problems. (I seriously doubt thats normal). I write stories... I think back on all the memories I have made with my children and laugh and smile wondering how my life would have been if I hadn't had a car... (*GASP*) I decorate, make wreaths, hang things on a plain wall in my head... I think of what I'll do while Mr. B.'s gone and if I will strangle any of the children. I wonder if i'll look back on my life and feel like I have done and seen enough. My mind is a busy place to be. Kid4 and I couldn't sleep the other night so we cuddled into her bed, took a few pictures and talked about earrings, math, Paul Bunyan and Annie Oakley. We're fun like that!

a sparkly dangly girly girl...

This little princess invited me to take her to the mall this evening and buy her new DANGLY earrings. This little doll was waiting all day with excitement in her eyes for the moment I would say "it's time to go DANGLY earring shopping". She got all ready, picked her own clothes and slipped on her pink sparkly clogs, she's fashionable that way! She marched herself into Claire's and picked her very first pair of DANGLY earrings She wore them with pride as she shook her little head to feel them move. Little girls are a dream! (Lets pretend she'll be little forever and always wear butterfly earrings and sparkly clogs-OK?)

Halloween fairy....

I forgot to show you what the Halloween fairy brought to Kid4.

The Halloween fairy worked like a charm.

She picked 10 pieces, she was happy and it was all gone by November 1st.

I love good ideas!

(Im not crazy about Barbies, but she is)

Its so nice to have a little one in the house still.

The 3 amigo's and bunion's

Tonight when Mr. B., Kid4 and I were eating dinner I mentioned how there is a lot less dishes lately and he pointed out that really only the 3 of us eat now days... *sniff-sniff* my big kids are growing up and mostly gone. Kid1 and 2 work most evenings and Kid3's off at school. Pretty much it's just us 3 Amigo's talking about things that 6 year olds talk about. Tonight we talked about Paul Bunyan and how he is so big he wears a blanket for a shirt and to be honest when she said "how do you spell Bunion (Bunyan)" I was a little worried that she was taking a podiatry class at school that I was unaware of- YUK! (I'm smart like that)

"a huge beer"

Bat Girl borrowed white wine for a recipe the other night and sent her husband down to get it. I sent the wine back with him and then she called and said she couldn't open it. I admittedly have HULK hands and often close things or in this case cork things WAY too tight. So I was heading her way when I met The Shadow (her husband) half way with a cork screw. So i walked back with him because I felt like I could probably open it when she called to say she got it opened. So I walked back home to finished my dinner. This is how the conversation went with Kid4.

Kid4- The Shadows here.

Me- AGAIN? I wonder why?

Kid4- I don't know, let me see.

Me- (I was looking out the window but he was leaned down petting my dog and I couldn't see him) Are you sure, I don't see him.

Kid4- yeah, don't worry he's just got a HUGE beer for ya!

She cracks me up!!

My two favorite veterans!

THANK A VETERAN!

Thanks to my man and my brother in law for serving our country. I know and love so many veterans. Thank you, thank you, thank you! :)

SEMPER FI

Growing up my Dad was my hero. My Dad is and always will be a Marine. My Dad taught me pride in my country and the Marine Corps, pride that will always be a part of who I am. (1.) The U.S. Marines have been the first branch of the armed forces to serve in every war since November 10th, 1775. I am proud to be a Marine brat and my Dad always takes my breath away with his strength and love for his country. Thanks Dad for being who you are and Happy birthday to the few and the brave men and women who serve in the United States Marine Corps.

(1) http://www.usmarinesbirthplace.com/United-States-Marines-facts.html

My Dad has on an Army uniform here. He is the principal at the New Mexico Military Institute, this is his uniform.

Here we are this weekend.

We had a great time.

We got to see Mr. B. get a really cool award.

It's nice to have time with just the girls.

the D word!

My dear friends,

I’ve wondered how to blog this news, how to say this one thing that’s going on in our lives and I’m never sure how to start…. To the rest of the world this won’t seem like big news because it’s the norm in America today, it’s what so many families are doing nowadays- its hip to be deployed. But to our family this is BIG.

YES, you heard me- Mr. B. is being deployed. Don’t worry we’re sufficiently freaking out around here. He told me quite a few months ago, we felt “lucky” to know so far ahead of time but the time is almost here and I’m worried.

There were and are still about 300,000 things to get in “order” for the deployment, we are struggling daily to get them taken care of. We are also struggling daily to not freak out and feel like every single moment might be the last moment.

He’ll miss Kid1’s graduation, entering the Navy, boot camp graduation, and his last days as a child in our home. He’ll miss Kid2’s first day as a senior and her last summer to be home and be a kid. He’ll miss Kid3’s re-introduction to NMMI as a sophomore, and his 14 year old careless summer. He’ll miss Kid4’s last day of first grade and her first day of second, a million funny things she will say and her heart-warming hugs.

And we will miss him. We will miss everything about him. My house will feel empty and a little crazy without him. Mr. B. keeps us all grounded, keeps our head out of the clouds and cleans the house!

My heart aches for him knowing he won’t get back these moments, yet I’m proud that he can serve our country. I’m proud that he is one of the people to stand up and fight for what we believe in. We’re lucky to call him ours.

We spent Saturday in Florida at meetings about family readiness and how we can be most prepared for the up coming deployment. This day was a day that made it all hit home. He’s going and that’s that. Sunday the girls and I are having a day to do girl things… who knows what we may do. We’ve tried to turn this weekend into a little weekend vacation for them so they will feel special and so this isn’t so hard.

Back to the grind Monday.

I love you friends,

Ashley

late night figuring

I absolutely adore my little goosey! I'm sure by now you already know that. She is so fun, it's so refreshing to have a little one in the house still.

She loves math, I mean LOVES it. She is always figuring this problem or that, she is in love with numbers. Last night in the middle of the night she shined her little princess flashlight in my eye and told me she couldn't sleep. She was too hot, she was too excited to play at Hannah's today and she was coughing. I sent her back to bed but thought I better check on her. So as I made my way up the stairs I could see her lamp was on. I opened her door and there she sat with a marker and a piece of paper doing..... MATH! She told me that she was going to work on "fact families" till she got tired again.

I smiled all the way back to bed, she was up in the middle of the night doing MATH- I LOVE IT! Aren't kids the greatest? (you know mostly ... when they're not driving you up the wall!!)

the art fair

OH' how we love the art fair! Every year... (all two years) we buy Kid4's art and we LOVE it! This year it was birds! I have been asking her for a week what they had drawn, she kept saying "I don't know MOM" ... when we walked up to her painting- she said "OH YEAH- BIRDS!" I laughed because I was DYING to know all week... I love it, I love it, I love it! It has a special place on my wall and I'll show it to you later on this week! I adore kids art, I love to frame it, make stationary out of it and find new ways to cherish it! KIDS ART ROCKS!

scary rule changing masks...

I don't like scary costumes!

I DONT LIKE them at all!

BUT...

This boy doesn't live at home anymore

SO...

I let him pick any mask he wanted for the halloween party at school.

AND...

he picked something scary.

NOW...

you might think I compromised my rule of no scary masks...

AND...

you'd be completely right!

He's a little unhappy and I'm trying to buy his happiness!

Just kidding....

kind of!

an almost painless tattoo

I accidentally washed someones (she shall remain nameless) tattoo from school. In my defense it was in her pocket... in her defense I jerked the skirt off of her because she spilled paint and threw it in the wash before she could blink an eye. She has a little thing for tattoo's (much to her mama's dismay) and not having a cougar paw for school pride day was just NOT working for her. We compromised and I used a sharpie and some creativity to draw her a new (unwashed) tattoo...... she was tickled pink!